Seychelles Dive Shops and Dive Centres

Where the dive centres are

Most diving in the Seychelles is done from boats, and dive centres cluster where the boats can launch easily and reach the best sites fast.

• Mahé: the biggest choice is on the north-west coast around Beau Vallon, close to Shark Bank, L'Ilot and the Twin Barges. There are also centres in the south of the island and near the marine parks on the west coast.
• Praslin: centres are mostly on the north coast around Anse Volbert (Côte d'Or), with a few on the west and south coasts. They dive the islets around Praslin and the rocks towards La Digue.
• La Digue: a handful of small operations, some of them sharing sites and boats with Praslin.
• Outer Islands: the island resorts have their own dive centres for guests, and liveaboards cover the remote atolls.

Because many centres sit inside hotels, you don't need to stay at the hotel to dive with them, but guests may get first choice of boat places in busy weeks. Match the centre to the sites you want: our Seychelles dive sites guide shows which island each site is closest to.

How to choose a dive shop

The Seychelles has a good safety record, and most centres are affiliated with an international training agency such as PADI or SSI. Within that, the differences come down to boats, group size and how the centre handles the weather. Before you book, ask:

• Training agency and instructors: which agency they teach, and whether the instructors and guides are current professional members.
• Group size: how many divers per guide. Four to six is comfortable; bigger groups are common in busy weeks.
• Boats: whether they have shade, fresh water, oxygen and a first aid kit on board, and how long the rides are to the main sites.
• Equipment: how old the rental gear is, what sizes they keep, and whether tanks have DIN or yoke valves (bring an adapter if you are not sure).
• Nitrox: whether they fill nitrox and teach the speciality, which is useful on the deeper plateau dives.
• Weather plan: what they do when the wind blows. Good centres move to the sheltered coast rather than cancel.
• Emergency plan: where the nearest recompression chamber is and how they would get you there.

Read recent reviews from divers rather than general travellers, and check that the price includes tanks, weights and park fees.

Dive courses in the Seychelles

The calm marine park reefs make the Seychelles a pleasant place to learn. Most centres offer a try dive for complete beginners, the entry-level Open Water course over three to four days, Advanced Open Water with a deep and a navigation dive, and specialities such as nitrox, deep, wreck and underwater photography. You can save holiday time by doing the theory online with your training agency before you fly.

Any medical questions need to be cleared before you start. Training agencies ask you to fill in a medical questionnaire, and some conditions need a doctor's sign-off. Bring it from home if you can, as a local appointment can take a day.

Marine park fees and rules

Dives inside the marine national parks around Mahé, Praslin and La Digue carry a per-person park fee, usually collected by the dive centre and added to your bill. Rules in the parks are strict: no fishing, no collecting shells or coral, and no anchoring on the reef. Some outer islands, including Aldabra, can only be visited with a permit, which the liveaboard or resort arranges.

Liveaboards

A liveaboard is the only practical way to dive many of the outer atolls, and some also run Inner Island itineraries when the season suits. Trips run on fixed dates, often a week or longer, and fill up early. Check the boat's safety equipment, the guide-to-diver ratio and whether nitrox is included, and leave a buffer day before your international flight. Our Seychelles dive travel page has the flying-after-diving guidance.